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Record #3913
Name :
: Winifred GOWLLAND (1897 - )
  aka : CUNNINGHAM


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1897 (approx.)

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
:
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Middlesex, London
Abode (2) : Place of Death / Burial
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 28 May 1909
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Corsican

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesIn 1909, W(inifred) Gowlland, 12 (and her sister Alice Gowlland, 7) arrived at Quebec, Canada, along with a group of 92 girls en route to Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. (The outbound British manifest of the Corsican, however, on May 20, 1909, shows Alice and Winifred as "Gowland", not "Gowlland"; but there is no doubt they are the same children. Winifred, at 12, is considered an adult, whereas Alice is shown as a child. The ship was carrying a total of 1,346 passengers, of whom the overwhelming majority were children.)

On the immigration record, for both girls the country of birth is stated as "England". However, going through the complete English birth records for the years 1895 to 1897, and 1901 to 1903, there are no Gowlland births. The children?s births, it was discovered, were registered in the name of the ?Putative Father? whose name was Arthur Cunningham. There were siblings, who were recorded on the files but did not enter the Home, presumably because they were adopted: their details are: Gowlland, Arthur, born c1892; and Gowlland, Elsie, born c1898. Her mother's name was Alice Maud Gowlland, who was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Richard Gowlland (1823 ? 1863) and Louisa Ann n?e Mayes: she was born at 13 Fulford Place, Southgate Road, West Hackney on 30th October 1861.

In the 1891 census Arthur Cunningham was shown living at No 22, Cambridge Place, Paddington, London, with Alice Maud Gowlland . Arthur's occupation is now shown as "Clerk" and Alice's the same. In the 1901 census (click here) they are living at No 55 Queen Street, Marylebone. Arthur's occupation is now shown as "Accountant" and Alice's as "Book-keeper". Barnardo's records state that Arthur was fifty-six when the children entered the home, which corresponds with the age of fifty-three declared in this census.

In both the 1891 and 1901 censuses, Arthur and Alice are described as "Married" although no marriage certificate has been traced, and in fact Barnardo's records state that they never married, possibly for the reason that Arthur was already married. In the 1901 census none of the three living children appears.

It is understood that the couple had been together for fourteen years, and that they had never married. With Alice dying in 1903, this implies that it was in 1889 that the relationship began. Alice Maud (the mother) died after twelve months suffering from "aortic valvular disease" on April 17, 1903. The family had to be split up nine months later. Interestingly the records also state that at the time of Alice Maud's death Arthur's occupation was "canvasser - of no fixed abode". This seems a very rapid come-down from his census declaration of ?accountant? of just three years earlier. Barnardo's records state that the children were handed over to their Portsmouth Home. The information implies that Arthur asked for help from the family, particularly the maternal grandmother Louisa Ann; but, whether because she did not like him, or because of inability to cope, she was either unable or unwilling to accept them.

The "Admissions History" on the Barnardo's files confirms that the procedure in those days was that an application for assistance had to be made to Dr Barnardo's, and then enquiries were made; and it was only after completion of these enquiries that a decision was made whether to admit or not. In this case, the files state that Arthur and the children, after being refused help by the maternal grandmother, were referred to the workhouse while enquiries, usually lasting two or three weeks, were made as to the validity of their application; and so we are attempting to trace their entry into a Portsmouth workhouse in the last weeks of 1903. As a result of a favourable decision, Winifred and Alice entered Barnardo's home, and, as mentioned earlier, Arthur and Elsie seem to have left their sisters by this time.

Barnardo's records also mention the names of the siblings of the mother (Louisa, Florence and Ellen), and also the grandmother Louisa Ann Remy (married to Hermann Wilhelm Remy). The procedure in those days was that illegitimate children entering the Home were given their mother?s surname, and thus their immigration documents for Canada were in the name of Gowlland. 
ContributorsCreated : 2008-07-23 17:31:27 / From original database

Last Updated : 2015-08-28 18:54:42 / alanmack

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Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  14 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
11465 CUNNINGHAM, Alfred1908ENG,    , Willesden May 1923 : Montcalm CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
2925 CUNNINGHAM, Alice1880 Mar 1895 : Mongolian CAN Maria Rye  
22364 CUNNINGHAM, Daniel1898ENG,     Aug 1913 : Corsican CAN Catholic Emigration Society  
20048 CUNNINGHAM, Hy1869ENG,     Jun 1886 : Lake Superior CAN Barnardos  
27230 CUNNINGHAM, Joseph1923ENG, CUL Nov 1935 : Balranald AUS Fairbridge Homes  
13486 CUNNINGHAM, Margaret1880ENG,     Sep 1887 : Circassian CAN Liverpool Catholic Childrens Protective Society (now Nugent Care)  
11564 CUNNINGHAM, Mary1858ENG,     Aug 1870 : Austrian CAN Father James Nugent  
13487 CUNNINGHAM, Mary Ann1876ENG, LAN, Liverpool Sep 1887 : Circassian CAN Liverpool Catholic Childrens Protective Society (now Nugent Care)  
11426 CUNNINGHAM, Peter1907ENG, LAN, Liverpool May 1923 : Montcalm CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
14639 CUNNINGHAM, Richard1875ENG,     Aug 1888 : Parisian CAN Liverpool Catholic Childrens Protective Society (now Nugent Care)  
4953 CUNNINGHAM, William1909ENG, LAN, Manchester Aug 1925 : Montnairn CAN Catholic Emigration Association  
11474 CUNNINGHAM, William 1911ENG,     Jul 1923 : Montcalm CAN Catholic Emigration Society  
3912 GOWLLAND, Alice Maud1901ENG, MDX, Pancras, London May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos  
3913 GOWLLAND, Winifred1897ENG, MDX, London May 1909 : Corsican CAN Barnardos